{"id":112835,"date":"2026-01-26T15:31:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/112835\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:31:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:31:40","slug":"bob-the-drag-queens-road-to-broadway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/112835\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob the Drag Queen’s road to Broadway"},"content":{"rendered":"

The greatest thing you\u2019ll ever learn on Broadway is the power of persistence. Just ask Bob the Drag Queen, the RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race winner who is fulfilling his dream of headlining on the Great White Way. He\u2019s now starring as Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! The Musical \u2014 though his path to playing the \u201cSpectacular, Spectacular\u201d owner of a Parisian cabaret, where a composer falls in love with a courtesan to a soundtrack of modern jukebox hits, was unconventional.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to New York City to be on Broadway. I auditioned for a lot of shows and got a lot of nos,\u201d Bob says. \u201cNo one told me that to be on Broadway you have to be able to sing and dance really well, so I was shocked when I was not the best singer or the best dancer, and I wasn\u2019t getting cast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob eventually discovered that \u201canother way to get on Broadway is to have a great personality,\u201d he adds, chuckling. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t have that either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I found the third way,\u201d Bob declares with a smirk. \u201cWhich is to be on reality TV and get stunt cast!\u201d The Traitors star adds, \u201cIf it works for NeNe Leakes \u2014 who\u2019s been in two Broadway shows \u2014 it can work for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Between being a drag performer in Hell\u2019s Kitchen in New York City, sashaying onto RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race season 8 and being crowned America\u2019s Next Drag Superstar, cohosting three seasons of HBO\u2019s We\u2019re Here, emceeing Madonna\u2019s history-making Celebration Tour around the world, and competing in the third season of Peacock\u2019s The Traitors, Bob has been booked and busy. The Out100<\/a> honoree has also starred in numerous TV shows, built up a fierce discography of original music, launched the first-ever podcast from a pair of RuGirls \u2014 Sibling Rivalry alongside Mon\u00e9t X Change \u2014 and published a novel, Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert, that made him a New York Times best-selling author. This year, he\u2019s cohosting The Traitors Official Podcast with former nemesis Boston Rob to recap weekly episodes of the Emmy-winning Peacock reality competition.<\/p>\n

\"Bob Bob the Drag QueenAvery Brunkus<\/p>\n

Ten years after winning Drag Race season 8, Bob\u2019s Broadway dreams have materialized with Moulin Rouge! The Musical for an eight-week limited engagement at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Taking over the role from Robert Petkoff, Bob enters an iconic lineage of Broadway Zidlers that started with Danny Burstein\u2019s Tony-winning performance, was further queerified by Boy George in the role, and was injected with even more humor by Wayne Brady. <\/p>\n

It feels absurd that Bob the Drag Queen has never starred in a Broadway show, but it is true. \u201cThis is Broadway, you know? Jennifer Holliday, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Patti LuPone. \u2026 This is where the greats go,\u201d Bob gushes. \u201cThis is a big moment for me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Also true? Zidler owns the Moulin Rouge and acts as an emcee in the venue \u2014 a role that synthesizes skills that Bob has honed in his career. \u201cI studied at the feet of Peppermint, Sherry Vine, Bianca Del Rio, Harmonica Sunbeam, and Hedda Lettuce. Queens who I saw taking the crowd on a journey,\u201d Bob says. \u201cI take a lot of pride in being a tastemaker in the New York City nightlife scene. My print is on the New York City drag scene for at least the next 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob praises trans trailblazer Peppermint \u2014 his personal friend \u2014 for becoming the first trans actress to originate a principal role in a Broadway musical (Head Over Heels) and go on to star in several musicals over the years, paving the way for other theater queens from Drag Race to find their own way in the industry. In recent years, there\u2019s been an influx of RuGirls in Broadway shows, notably Jinkx Monsoon\u2019s mind-blowing success in shows like Chicago, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, and Oh, Mary!<\/p>\n

– YouTube <\/p>\n

Would Bob be interested in playing Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola\u2019s Tony-winning play? \u201cYeah, I would love to be in a show like Oh, Mary!, though I think I\u2019d be better as Abraham Lincoln,\u201d Bob notes. \u201cI\u2019ve got to say: Not putting me opposite Jinkx Monsoon<\/a> in Oh, Mary! was a big mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like finding a \u201cthird way\u201d to debut on Broadway, this interviewer accidentally stumbled upon a third reason \u2014 and a hilarious one, at that \u2014 that the role of Harold Zidler feels like the perfect next chapter in Bob\u2019s career. When asked about the character\u2019s significant differences in the musical when compared to Jim Broadbent\u2019s original portrayal in the 2001 Baz Luhrmann film starring Nicole Kidman (Satine) and Ewan McGregor (Christian), Bob confesses that he\u2019s never seen the movie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you believe I had not seen the movie before I was cast?\u201d Bob remarks. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the play twice before I saw the movie.\u201d After acknowledging how beloved the original film is and how it\u2019s felt like an inescapable must-watch movie even for non-fans of musical films, this interviewer kindly circled back to the unanswered question: What did Bob think of Harold Zidler in the movie?<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, I haven\u2019t watched it yet!\u201d Bob confesses with a laugh. To be clear, however, Bob promises he will rectify this soon. \u201cI want to make a meal of it,\u201d he explains, \u201cso me and my friends are going to watch Moulin Rouge!, the movie, finally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Movie homework or not, Bob is absolutely ready to walk into Moulin Rouge! The Musical purse first.<\/p>\n

Moulin Rouge! The Musical is now playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Broadway. Learn more at moulinrougemusical.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article is part of OUT\u2019s Jan-Feb 2026 print issue, which hits newsstands January 27. Support queer media and subscribe<\/a> \u2014 or download the issue through Apple News+, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader.<\/p>\n

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